12 Tricks to Help Lose Belly Fat

Flat, toned abs are right up there with Ryan Gosling's digits—every chick with a pulse wants them. If you're looking to lose belly fat, try these expert tips. They target that pesky pooch to score you abs so tight, could bounce a quarter off of them.

Exercise in Bursts

Exercise in Bursts

Awesome news: Turns out that marathoning for an hour on the treadmill isn't only boring as hell, but it doesn't even really give you that great of a workout. Experts say that if you're trying flatten your abs, one of the most effective methods is actually interval training, which means incorporating short bursts of high-intensity burnouts into whatever you're doing, whether that's running, squats, whatever. And bonus—it'll keep you burning calories for up to 16 hours post-exercise. Um, we'll take it.

Stretch, Then Crunch

Stretch, Then Crunch

The most common mistake you're probably making when doing abwork is jumping in without limbering up, which causes you to do most of the work with your hips and back. See, your core muscles are harder to activate when the areas surrounding it are still tense. Try this: Before doing a single crunch, put a foam roller in the center of your back at the edge of your shoulder blades and stretch back over the roller, arms up. Repeat until the middle part of your back, which tends to get pulled the most during improper abwork, feels loose.